Zuma: A New Twist On Space Radar?

First, nobody who doesn’t have extremely high clearance really knows if Zuma is in orbit or has been lost. Several sources I spoke with noted that remaining silent about the satellite would be excellent cover for the program, though that sounds more cunning than I’d expect. Second, the Northrop Grumman satellite may be a follow-on to another failed satellite US 193 . When I was at Space News when US 193 went rogue , a source with direct knowledge of the program told me it was a blend of radar and electro-optical and would not provide any more detail than that. A source with wide knowledge of classified space programs has told me that the Northrop Grumman-built Zuma may be the next iteration of this. Both were apparently experimental satellites, in that they were not part of a large constellation of similar satellites.